Using eBay’s Shipping Calculator

Finally, and this is my new preferred method, you can choose to include eBay’s Shipping Calculator in your item listings. The Shipping Calculator is a great tool; it lets buyers enter their ZIP Code on the auction listing page, and then calculates the actual shipping cost, based on the shipping service you selected. (You can also choose to have the Shipping Calculator add a predetermined handling charge for each shipment, which we’ll discuss in a minute.) When buyers use eBay Checkout at the end of an auction, or choose to pay via PayPal, they can also use the Shipping Calculator to automatically add shipping and handling fees to their total.

If you have multiple items for sale, there is every possibility that a single buyer will purchase more than one item. If that happens, you don’t need to pack two or more separate boxes for that buyer; you can easily pack all the items purchased in a single box, which will reduce shipping costs. You should pass on that savings to your customer, in the form of a combined shipping and handling fee for all items purchased. If you’re inflexible in adjusting your shipping and handling for multiple purchases, you’re ripping people offand will lose customers for it.

You can activate the Shipping Calculator when you’re creating a new item listing on the Sell Your Item page. Just follow these steps:

Select the Calculated Shipping Rates tab to open the Shipping Calculator section

Enter the package weight, in pounds and ounces. (Round up any fractional ounces.)

Select a package size from the pull-down list.

Select which shipping service you plan to use, from the pull-down list.

Enter your ZIP Code.

Enter any handling fee you want to charge (over and above the actual shipping rate) into the Packaging & Handling Fee box.

Select whether you want to offer shipping insurance.

Select whether you charge sales tax, and enter the sales tax rate.

Because the Shipping Calculator can be added to your item listings free of charge, there’s no reason not to use itespecially because it greatly simplifies the task of calculating exact shipping charges to your customers.